6 Fascinating Facts About Interview Transcription

Beth Worthy

1/13/2016

Nowadays, there is a huge demand for professional interview transcription services across the globe. Just like any other transcription job, the process of interview transcription includes transferring audio or video content into written text.

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An accurate and perfectly-transcribed copy requires time, focus, concentration, and commitment. One can find various types of transcription software for this work. However, no machine and software can ever match the accuracy and perfection of a professional transcriber or a transcription company.

Most people are familiar with the notion of interview transcription, but they don't know the basic facts and history associated with it. Here are 6 interesting facts about interview transcription.

# 1The term “transcription” has been in widespread use since the 17th century. It’s derived from the Latin word transcribere, where trans means across and scribere means write.

# 2Since the 1960s, the use of the word “transcription” has quadrupled across the globe.

# 3An average human speaks roughly 160 words per minute. This means that a transcriber has to transcribe around 10,000 words for an hour-long video. A professional transcriber types between 80 and 100 words per minute, which is much slower than the average speaking rate. Slowing down the recording helps the transcriber transcribe the text accurately with minimal frustration.

# 4Due to the significant discrepancy between the rate of human speech and the rate of proficient typing, it can take anywhere between four and six hours to transcribe an hour-long interview.

# 5An interview can have more than two people speaking together at the same time. Overlapping dialogue and other interruptions during the interview need to be treated very carefully during the transcription process.

Automated computer transcriptions fail to achieve accuracy in interview transcriptions, so people often rely on professional transcribers for their interview transcription needs.

# 6The quality of the audio or video recording largely determines the quality of the final transcription. For example, if the video interview was recorded while a large fan was running in the room, most likely the transcriber will have difficulty deciphering the speech and consequently, may leave out a number of words.

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Beth Worthy

Beth Worthy is the Director of Operations for GMR Transcription Services, Inc an Orange County, California based company that has been providing accurate and affordable transcription services since 2004. She has enjoyed success at GMR for almost ten years now and has helped the company grow. Within two years of Beth managing GMR Transcription, it had doubled in sales and was named one of the OC Business Journal’s fastest-growing private companies. Outside of work, she likes spending time with her husband and two kids.